Alan Stewart’s UK and Ireland family history news

British Record Society Probate Collection goes online

An index of wills proved at 16 church courts has recently been made available online.

The Origins Network has added an index of probate records to its National Wills Index. The index now includes:

Berkshire Probate Records 1508-1710;

Bristol Probate Records 1572-1792;

Cambridgeshire Probate Records 1513-1857;

Devon & Cornwall Probate Records 1540-1799;

Dorset Probate Records 1537-1799;

Essex Probate Records 1400-1858;

Huntingdonshire Probate Records 1479-1652;

Leicester Probate Records 1495-1750;

Lincoln Probate Records 1320-1659;

London Probate Records 1363-1700;

Norfolk Probate Records 1370-1603;

Northampton Probate Records 1677-1800;

Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills & Administrations 1581-1700;

Somerset Probate Records 1537-1799;

Sussex Probate Records 1482-1858;

Worcestershire Probate Records 1451-1652.

The Origins Network says: “The British Record Society (BRS) probate indexes show the names and dates of several million wills and other probate documents. Spanning four centuries across Britain, the indexes show you where to go to find the original documents.

“The BRS Probate Collection provides exclusive online access to the BRS indexes, via a Google-like search. When you view search results as highlighted snippets, you can click to view images of the original indexes to find all the information you need to contact the relevant record offices to be able to examine the original documents.

“Over time, as the BRS volumes are indexed individually on the National Wills Index, you will be able to order hard copies of the wills online, and eventually be able to access the documents themselves.”